Miami still in running for new $5 Billion Amazon Headquarters – List narrowed to 20

Reports released from Amazon Thursday confirmed that the super company narrowed its list of sites for its second headquarters to 20 potential locations.

All of South Florida joined forces to make the case for Amazon to open its HQ in the Sunshine State. The pitch was enough to land Miami on the short list! The deadline for application was October 17, 2017.

Amazon says it will spend $5 billion wherever it chooses to build its HQ2. The company projects it will employ 50,000 there. When it announced plans to build a second North American site, Amazon said it would consider metropolitan areas with 1 million people and a stable, business-friendly environment.

The remaining 20 places are:

Atlanta

Austin, Texas

Boston

Chicago

Columbus, Ohio

Dallas

Denver

Indianapolis

Los Angeles

Miami

Montgomery County, Md.

Nashville, Tenn.

Newark, N.J.

New York City

Northern Virginia

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Raleigh, N.C.

Toronto

Washington, D.C.

In total, the e-commerce retail giant received 238 proposals from cities in North America, many with lures of tax incentives and creative perks directed at CEO Jeff Bezos.

The 20 places, including Miami, will supply information to and work along with Amazon to “evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership,” according to the company.

Amazon expects to make a final decision sometime this year. Here’s wishing Miami the best of luck!

The following is an article regarding South Florida’s interest in securing the new Amazon HQ:

Business leaders, Councils, and Development Boards from Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties have joined forces to create a super-team approach to luring Amazon to South Florida.

Why get so excited? Amazon’s new HQ will boast a proposed 8 million square feet, and employ a workforce of 50 thousand. Yes, we said dreams were made of this! And South Florida is hoping Amazon is dreaming of a sunny, warm climate in juxtaposition to their Seattle-based command post. Couldn’t balmy ocean views lead the pitch?

Let’s not forget that the competition for the staggering $5 billion development on as many as 100 acres, is stiff. O-town wants in; Denver got a leg-up from a New York Times article which ranked it as best choice; even Gary, Indiana is vying for the massive project to park it bountiful buildings in the Midwest.

Yes, they all want Amazon, but they aren’t South Florida. Touting its quality schools, ready workforce, improving transportation options like Brightline, and convenient airport locations, the joined counties are hoping that miles of powdery-sand beaches might just seal the deal.

One of the biggest draws of the company who made Prime a coveted perk, is the magnetic force it carries. Aside from the incredibly lucrative Amazon, a plethora of businesses just wanting to be close enough to rub elbows with the company that generated $136 billion in sales last year, will likely flock to the area.

The addition of the new headquarters could turn a sleepy patch of undeveloped land into a metropolis of booming business, manufacturing, research, office, retail, and more.

But the development team will need to act fast in order to woo Amazon. The deadline for proposals is October 19. Best of luck, So FL!

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